School of Blood
by TheGreatElisaMousy
Summary: Title probably sucks. A girl changes Fang into a vampire, and Fang's dragged into an Academy... for children of the night. Max is jealous, because he's unwillingly created his own 'harem'. Will Fang survive? Oops, too late.
1. Chapter 1

-Fang's POV-

I never expected this… never. But I guess things can change pretty quick.

It started when I went off on my own. Max and I had gotten into a fight, and I don't even remember what it was about. It's kind of a little thing, now. Anyway, I left to go cool off some steam.

I wound up in a forest, wandering. I hated myself at the time, because of something I said to Max. I was wandering aimlessly, but then I saw this girl. She had tan hair in these wavy ponytails, and she was in this sort of school uniform. She saw me, and for some reason she walked towards me with a purpose. I started backing up, but suddenly, she was in front of me. She stayed in the shadows, but she was still really clear to see. She grabbed my wrist.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Now, now, is that really your business?" She gave me a cold stare.

"It is if you're not gonna let me go."

"That's not really an option." She said. Her voice was cold, empty. "I can't let you go just yet."

The next thing I knew, it was dark out, and I was feeling a little dizzy. I had to get back, soon.

-Max's POV-

Why did I have to flip out at him? Sure, I was mad, but I went a little too far. Fang hadn't left after a fight in since… well, never. What if he never came back? What if I never saw him again? What if-?

"Oh, my head…."

I turned, and there he was. Fang stood in the doorway, looking a little paler than usual and weak.

"Where were you?" I asked, trying not to sound like I was going crazy without him (even though I was).

"Needed to cool off… take a little break…" His voice was a little slurred, as if he was a little drunk. But I didn't smell any alcohol….

"So what happened?"

"Huh? What makes you think something happened?" _You aren't fooling anyone._ "I'm fine. Nothing happened. I'm totally fine."

"Fang, I never said something was wrong. So obviously, something is. Tell me."

"Can't… don't remember…"

"But something happened?" Okay, _now_ I was worried. What could happen to _Fang_ to hurt him in any way? And how could he not remember?

He shrugged weakly. "I guess. I'm going to bed… Okay?"

After a minute or so, I nodded. "No one's stopping you." Something had to be _seriously_ wrong. Fang _never_ asked permission for anything, he just always did it whether anyone liked it or not.

I watched him walk down the hall, slowly, almost strained. I heard the door open, and then close softly.

-Fang's POV-

My head was killing me… What happened? All I remembered was the forest, and that girl…. That's it! She was the key to all this! If I could just find her, I would know what happened to me. But where to start?

I couldn't think about that now, though. My killer headache kind of made that impossible. All I wanted to do was sleep….

_A large brick building…._

_A cold hallway…._

_An eerie feeling…._

_A sense of death…._

_That girl….._

I woke up in a cold sweat. What was that dream? It was only about a minute long, but I kept getting the strange feeling that it meant something important.

-Max's POV-

I was worried, I really was. I heard Fang wake up, but he didn't come out of his room. I decided not to push him.

Iggy walked in. "Hey, sounds like Fang's back. Guess he forgives you."

"How did you-? Nevermind. Yeah, he is. Why?"

"Just wanted to tell you if you didn't know. He was breathing weird. Kind of quick, weak."

My head whipped toward him. "What?" His breathing? Oh God, what _happened _to him?

He shrugged. "He wasn't breathing normally. He sounds kind of sick."

I couldn't believe what was happening. I wasn't even sure _what_ was happening. All I knew was that it couldn't be good. Something was wrong with Fang. And I couldn't do anything about it.

"Just… just let him rest for a little while. It's probably just a bug or something." I didn't believe a word I said. But if I could convince everyone else… they wouldn't worry. No one would fuss over Fang. He'd hate that. Well, no one but me… but I couldn't help it. I loved him, and seeing him like this hurt.

He shrugged again. "Okay, whatever you say." And with that, he left the room to do something probably very destructive. But at the moment, I really didn't care.

I rubbed my temples. What did I know about this? Well, Fang left after a fight. He came back really weak, but there was no way of knowing what happened. Not if Fang couldn't remember. And that was about it. Yeah, big help.

Fang was sick and there was nothing I could do to help. I hated it.

-Fang's POV-

I was so cold. I was so weak I couldn't move. I was so thirsty. What was wrong with me? I tried to sit up, but it was like there was this weight on me, pushing me down. I couldn't speak. I could barely stay conscious. Well if I couldn't do anything, I might as well get back to sleep…

-Max's POV-

I was seriously worrying out of my mind. Fang had come back four hours ago, but I hadn't seen him at all since he went to his room. Yeah, he needed to rest, but he'd never stay in bed for something like this for more than two hours. He'd get stubborn and get up even if he still wasn't feeling too hot.

The door to the living room opened and Gazzy walked in. "Hey Max, is Fang back yet? What'd you do to make him so mad, anyway?"

"Does _everyone_ know we had a fight?" Seriously, everyone was so nosy around here.

The Gasman shrugged. "I don't know."

I sighed. "Yes, he's back. Just don't bother him, he's not feeling too well." God, I sounded like Fang's freaking _mom_. But can you really blame me?

If I knew then what I knew now, I'd have stayed in Fang's room every waking moment, dreading what was going to happen….


	2. Chapter 2

-Max's POV-

It had now been a whole freaking _day_ since Fang got home.

_Some things take time, Max._

Oh, great. Just what I needed.

"What do you mean, 'some things take time'?"

_Fang may recover, or he may get worse. Only time will tell._

"I though you could predict the future." I told the Voice sarcastically.

_Maybe I can, and maybe I can't._

"Could you for once just give me a straight answer?" God, it was ticking me off.

_That would be too easy, Maximum. After all, you can't just have everything handed to you on a silver platter._

Ugh, this was getting nowhere. "Either tell me what you know, or shut up!"

_Very well…_ And then it was silent.

Nudge popped her head in. "Who're you yelling at?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know, I'm alone in this room, who do you _think_ I'm yelling at?"

"Oh… right." And she left. Wow, an abridged version of the Nudge Channel. That's not something you hear every day.

I'd had enough of waiting. I decided it was time to go check on Fang.

-Fang's POV-

I could barely keep my eyes open, but I was trying. Oh, God was I trying. I heard the door open and, with effort, I turned my head. Max.

"Hey, I thought I'd come see how you're doing." She said. She pulled up a chair and sat in front of my bed. "So how do you feel?"

"Like crap…" I managed to say.

"I kind of guessed. I mean, you've been in here for a whole day."

A day? A whole 24 hours? What was _wrong_ with me? I should've gotten up before then!

I tried to sit up, but the invisible weight held me down. I couldn't move.

"Anything I can get for you?"

"Something… to drink, maybe…" My throat was bone dry. Not even a drop of water. I was so helpless… and I hated it.

She smiled a little, but I knew it was strained. "I'll get Iggy right on it." She left, and I was once again surrounded by an empty, lonely room.

-Max's POV-

As soon as I left Fang's room, I made a beeline for the kitchen. "Iggy!"

"What's up?" He asked, leaning on the counter. "Fang any better yet?"

"No." I sighed. "Actually, that's what I came to talk to you about. He said he wanted something to drink."

"Then why don't you just grab him a glass of water?" He responded.

"Because he hasn't had _anything_ to eat in over twenty-four hours."

"Oh. Right…"

I looked at him hopelessly. "You have any ideas?"

He seemed to be thinking for a moment. "Food and drink, huh? Some kind of soup would probably be easiest."

"Then get to it!" I said, punching him lightly.

He pretended to wince. Drama queen. "Don't hit the blind guy!" He said.

"Maybe if you start acting like it!" I called over my shoulder, walking into the living room to wait.

After what seemed like forever (but was probably only a few minutes), I heard "It's done."

I walked back into the kitchen. "Thanks, Ig." I took the soup into Fang's room and I _really _hoped he was still awake.

-Fang's POV-

I heard the door open again and then close softly. It was Max again, and she was holding a bowl of… something. Something hot.

"I brought you some soup." She said. "Now sit up so you can eat it."

"Can't move…" I replied as best as I could.

She set the bowl on my side table and helped me sit up, leaning me against the headboard.

"I suppose I need to feed you myself, too?"

I think my lack of response was enough of an answer. The next thing I knew, she was shoving a spoon in my mouth and my mouth was burning.

I swallowed quickly. "Geez, Max…" I said. "What're you trying to do, burn me to death?"

She laughed, and set the bowl back down.

After a few minutes, she started feeding me again. That _better_ not leave this room.

The soup slid down fast, starting to make my throat feel better. But at the same time, it felt… weird. Like I wasn't supposed to be eating it…

-Max's POV-

He was eating. Good. That's a step in the right direction… I think. I had decided against telling him about my little conversation with the Voice. Usually I tell him everything, but that just felt like it needed to be kept a secret. Besides, he didn't need to be confused out of his mind like I was.

"Feeling any better?" I asked hopefully.

"Little bit…" He said quietly.

I frowned as I put the now empty bowl on his side table. "Fang, I think there's something _seriously_ wrong with you."

"You mean, other than the fact that I'm a mutant freak with wings?" He asked sarcastically.

If he wasn't practically glued to the bed, I would've hit him.

"Maybe I should get my mom…" I said uncertainly.

"No… I'll be fine in a couple days." He replied weakly. Yeah, sure.

"Alright, whatever you say." I was _definitely_ talking to Mom tomorrow.

-Fang's POV-

I knew she was lying to me. As soon as she got the chance, she'd bring Dr. Martinez in here. Great. Another person to see me this helpless.

I had to get better before then. I would be fine. I'd make sure of it. Maybe I could sleep it off some more…

-Max's POV-

He drifted off to sleep, so I decided to take the bowl back to the sink. I figured I could let him sleep just a little bit more.

The next day I went in to check on him. I didn't want to embarrass myself by getting my mom only to see that Fang had gotten better somehow overnight.

His eyes were barely open, and I could hear him breathing shallowly. He was supposed to be getting better, not worse!

I ran over to the side of the bed. "Fang!"

-Fang's POV-

I could barely hear Max's voice, but it was there. I was sweating, and I was feeling just plain awful. Okay, worse than awful. It was hard to breathe, and I couldn't even move my head. It took every bit of strength just to keep my eyes open a little and breathe. I felt her hand grip mine. At least she was here. I didn't want to be alone…

-Max's POV-

He just got worse and worse by the second. I knew I needed to get my mom, but I didn't want to leave his side. I was afraid that if I left… he'd be gone when I came back. He was drenched in some sort of cold sweat.

"Darn it, Voice!" I yelled. "What's happening to him?"

_He's changing._

"Changing? What do you mean, 'he's changing'?" The tears fell so fast, I probably could've put out a fire with them.

-Fang's POV-

I could hear her yelling, but I couldn't make out the words. I had no idea if she was talking to me or someone else. Maybe she had brought her mom. Maybe one of the other members of the Flock came in. Or maybe it was the Voice. I don't know. Everything seemed so hard… I could barely breathe, and it was only getting worse by the second. I lost all feeling in my body, and I knew I couldn't move. It was hopeless. There was no point in even trying any more. I gave up fighting.

And then, I died.


	3. Chapter 3

-Max's POV-

No… NO! He couldn't be gone… he couldn't…

"Fang…" I said through my tears. "No… don't leave me… please…" I was all out bawling, but I didn't care. When Fang's hand became limp in mine, I completely lost it.

"Hey Max, what's wrong?" Nudge came running in, followed by the rest of the Flock. Angel, who should have already read my mind, was actually not crying. Little brat.

"He's… he's…" I couldn't say it. I couldn't say the 'd' word.

"Omigod! He's dead, isn't he? He's dead! I knew it!" Nudge started crying too, and she was soon followed by Gazzy.

We were bawling our eyes out before we heard Angel say: "Someone's coming."

I looked up fast, and the next thing I knew, the window was busted, and there was this girl in a school uniform standing in front of us. Her eyes flicked from us to Fang. When she saw him, she immediately walked over to him. Fast. She picked up Fang effortlessly.

"What are you doing?" I yelled.

"I'm taking him where he belongs." The girl said simply, in a cold tone.

-Sandy's POV-

I could see the girl was going to advance probably before even she knew it. I pushed her away without much effort, but she went flying back quite a few feet. These humans were so weak. But it didn't matter. All I needed was the boy.

Headmaster's going to kill me.

I quickly jumped out the window and landed softly. I ran back to the large, castle-type structure surrounded by mountains. I hauled the boy into the building, and straight to Headmaster's office. Man, was he going to chew me out.

I raised my free hand to knock on the door, but just before my knuckle touched the smooth, aged wood, I heard an ancient yet intimidating voice say: "Enter, Cassandra Siloway." Why does he always have to use last names…?

I gulped and slowly opened the door.

There he sat at his desk. The Headmaster. He seemed old and frail, but looks can be deceiving. He could crush any pro wrestler in an instant without using more than two fingers. He terrified _everyone_ here. Well, everyone except his granddaughter. He always had a soft spot for her. She was his one weakness.

"I see you found the boy."

"Yes, Headmaster." I said, seating the boy in a chair. I dropped to one knee.

"And you understand the consequences of your actions?"

"Yes, Headmaster."

"Now, wake the boy."

"Yes, Headmaster." I said a third time, standing. I gently picked up the knife Headmaster kept on his desk for situations like these. I slashed my arm so there was a large gash running down my forehead, blood seeping through. I quickly shoved my arm a few inches under the boy's nose, before the wound would start to heal.

He opened his eyes quickly, and they were a dark crimson, as opposed to the coal black ones I had remembered.

-Fang's POV-

I could have sworn I just died.

But it was like something called me back. It was some sort of smell, a delicious smell.

When I opened my eyes, I saw some sort of dark, old fashioned candle-lit office. There was a girl next to me, pulling her sleeve down. Wait a minute. I knew that girl! She was the one from before!

"I see that you're awake." A voice said, and for the first time I noticed a fragile-looking old man sitting in the ornate chair behind the desk. "What is your name, boy?" It wasn't the kind, 'hey, how are you doing' kind of question. It was more of a 'tell me or else' question.

"Fang." I replied simply.

The man's eyes narrowed. "This is not a joke boy."

"I'm not kidding either. Everyone calls me Fang."

"What is the name you were given at birth?" He asked in that same tone.

"F66631xto." Sad that I could recite that without even thinking about it.

"I said this was not a joke." Man, he seemed really ticked off.

"Well _excuse me_ for being raised by a stinking lab. You got a complaint, send it to the School."

The girl's eyes widened a little, but the man seemed unfazed.

"Well, F66631xto. Do you know why you are here?"

"Not really." I said. "And it's Fang. All I remember is that this girl over here did something weird to me and I thought I died. Guess I didn't, though. After all, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

"Not quite." The girl said. "Haven't you noticed you haven't taken a single breath since you woke up?"

It was true. I hadn't noticed it before, but once she mentioned it… no. I wasn't breathing, but I was fine.

"Check yourself for a pulse." The girl added.

I put two fingers to me neck, to find my pulse. There was none.

Before I could say anything, the man spoke. "You have no need to breathe because you are not alive. You are a member of the undead, because of the blunder of one of my students. F66631xto, you have become a vampire."

-Sandy's POV-

I could see the shock on his face easily.

"It's true." I said. "Feel around in your mouth. You'll find them."

I could see his eyes widen a little. Yep, he felt them.

Headmaster looked me in the eye, and let me tell you, it's a lot scarier than it sounds. "Cassandra. You are to be his guide."

"Yes, Headmaster." I said, and then the both of us were dismissed.

Out in the old, echoey hall, he whipped around and looked at me.

"So vampires really do exist, huh?"

"Well, yeah. How else could you explain your fangs, Fang?" Sorry. I couldn't resist.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, ha-ha, very funny."

"So what was with that number thing? And you said something about a school?"

"Not _a_ school." He replied darkly. "_The_ School. They're a horrible group of scientist that experiment on human beings like they were science projects. I'm one of those science projects."

"Care to explain?" I asked, and he responded by unfurling two large, black, feathered wings. I gasped as he pulled them back. "I _knew_ there was something funny about your blood!"

"So that's how you did it, isn't it? You drank my blood, so I changed." He looked confused. "Wait a minute. If you just bit me to turn me… wouldn't there be a lot more vampires?"

I looked away. "I took too much, so I had to give you some of mine… that's how it happened."

"Where are we, anyway?"

"Oh, right. Sorry for not giving you the proper welcome. Welcome to Vladimir Academy."

-Fang's POV-

So it was really true, huh? This girl really turned me into a vampire?

"Come on." She said, grabbing my wrist. "I need to take you to the stupid office to get your schedule."

She led me through countless hallways and we finally stopped outside one of the many ancient doors. "Well, here we are." She then dragged me inside.

"Schedule." She said to one of the ancient ladies at one of the desks.

"Ah, yes." She responded in an almost grandmotherly voice. "The new student, correct?"

"Yes, Miss Marbundy." The girl whose name is apparently Cassandra said. "His name is Fa- F66631xto." I glared at her. She ignored me. "Oh yeah, he needs his uniform, too."

The woman, Miss Marbundy, handed her a stack of clothes and a piece of paper. "Here you go, dear." She smiled, and again she reminded me of some sort of grandmother.

Cassandra dragged me back out of the office and down yet another hall. She opened a door and shoved me inside, along with the clothes. "Put them on. It's the school uniform."

"You mean I actually have to go to school here?"

She knocked on my head. "Uh, _duh_. Haven't you been paying attention? Children of the night come here. It's practically mandatory. So like it or not, you're staying here."

I didn't feel like arguing, so I just walked in what looked like a bathroom and closed the door.

-Sandy's POV-

He walked out of the bathroom, and as expected, his uniform fit perfectly. I don't know how Headmaster does it, and I'm not sure I _want_ to, but it works every time. I looked down at his schedule and groaned.

"What?" He looked over my shoulder, being so freaking tall. He was around my age, so why was he so tall?

"We have the same schedule…" I said. I should've expected this. I mean, Headmaster told me I would be his guide, so why _wouldn't _we have the exact same schedule?

He raised an eyebrow. "You sound like that makes this the end of the world."

"Look, I'm not really in the mood to baby-sit the newly turned, okay? I have enough on my plate as it is."

He rolled his eyes. If only he knew… "Why'd you have to use my ID number?" He asked.

I should've seen that coming. Geez, what was _up_ with me today? Wait, probably because it was, well… daytime. "Headmaster doesn't ever use nicknames. And since your ID number is what you gave him as a real name, that's who you are in the systems."

"Great." He said sarcastically. "Old memories brought back on a daily basis."

"Nightly." I corrected, and he looked at me like I had two heads. "Oh come on. We're vamps. We're active at night."

"But you were outside just fine _in the sun_. What's the big deal?"

I sighed. These next few nights were going to involve a _lot_ of explanations… "Yes, I was out during the day. But the older a vampire gets, the weaker they are in the sun. I stayed in the shadows, remember? It's when we reach our teenage yeas that the sun starts to affect us. People like Headmaster, though, would burn to ashes just like in the movies if they were to even step outside on a sunny day."

"How old is he, anyway?" Man, this guy was just _full_ of questions.

"I don't know. I don't think anyone here does. Somewhere around five hundred. Maybe older."

"Wait a minute. The old guy looks around ninety or something, and you're telling me he's over five hundred. How old does that make you?"

"Hey! You never ask a woman that!" I sighed. "But for your information, I'm fourteen. Our aging slows down around this time, too, so when we're like, fifty, we'll still look like teenagers."

"Oh…" He still looked a little confused, but luckily kept his mouth shut. Then he seemed to realize something. "Hey, when does class start?" Wow. I thought he would've completely forgotten.

"Nine. It's around eight now, so we still have time for a brief tour." I grabbed his arm and started dragging him down the hall yet again. _Good going, Sandy. Now you're stuck with this kid for who knows how long…_

Okay, I need a little help here. I'm having temporary writer's block about what should happen next. I have vague ideas for bits and pieces, but I need the in between stuff. Any ideas in reviews and/or PMs would help _a lot_. Thank you to those few people who've wasted your time reading this.


	4. Chapter 4

**I want to thank pancakes-for-you because sometimes I think that you are my _only_ reviewer. I'm glad for your praise and your ideas. In fact, I think I might use more than one... And sorry I took so long to update, I've been working on some other, private ideas.**

-Fang's POV-

I had to get out of this place. All these halls and doors and corners were only giving me headaches. I would never be able to navigate through this place. Besides, I had to get back to the Flock.

"Hey, Cassandra?" I asked.

"Call me Sandy." She said over her shoulder.

"Are there any windows near here?"

"Oh yeah, there's a big one right around the-"

I bolted. Bracing my arms in front of my face, I broke through the window. I was falling fast, and falling hard. Reflexes kicked in and my wings snapped open, catching the wind beneath my feathers. Glancing back, I saw a lot of curious faces looking out a bunch of different windows.

I was going home.

-Max's POV-

Why would that girl take Fang's body…? And where was she going to take him? 'Where he belongs'? What's that supposed to mean? I heard the door open, but I didn't look up. I couldn't face anyone like this. My face was still wet with tears, and I sure as heck wasn't going to let anyone see me like this.

"Hey, Max, what's wrong?"

My eyes widened. That voice… it was impossible… I stood up quickly and whirled around. "Fang…?"

He walked towards me. He was paler than he should be, and was for some reason hiding his eyes.

"Fang!" I hugged him tightly. "You're so cold…" I said softly, and he looked away, refusing to meet my eyes. "Where were you…?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…" He said. Seriously?

I rolled my eyes. "Right. After all we've been through, _of__course_ I won't believe you." My voice was just dripping in sarcasm.

"Later… right now, I just wanna lay down…" After that, he walked right passed me into his room and closed the door. After everything that happened, he acted like it was nothing. I _had_ to know where he'd been, what happened… I just _had_ to.

-Fang's POV-

I knew Max was doing her very best to not bug me. But I also knew it wouldn't last much longer. I had to think of a way to explain it all… and fast.

_Now__how__to__explain__these__…__?_ I thought, running my tongue over my new fangs. _And__then__there__'__s__the__no__pulse__thing.__And__that__I__don__'__t__breathe.__Or__eat._ I sighed. Maybe ditching hadn't been the best of plans. At least, not until I learned a little more. Like how I was supposed to feed, for instance. Or what kind of things I could do. It hit me then. Hard.

I had no idea what I needed to do, and the slightest mistake might get me killed.

And this was different than fighting Erasers or Flyboys or anything. At least, I had experience and could learn from that, but now… now I didn't have anything to go by. I was an idiot. A real idiot.

I felt something weird, like something was tickling the inside of my head. I shook my head. What the heck was that?

-Max's POV-

"So?" I asked Angel. "What'd you find?"

She looked back at me, looking very confused. "I didn't hear anything." She said quietly. "It was like there was a wall or something…"

A wall? Around Fang's mind? Oh, god, what _happened_ to him? I knew he probably didn't want anyone fussing over him or anything, but I couldn't help it. I was worried.

Making up my mind, I walked towards Fang's room. I opened the door.

"Jesus, Max! Knock first, why don't you?" My face turned bright red to see he only had a pair of boxers on.

"S-sorry…" I said, and closed the door. Leaning against it, I suddenly remembered what Fang had been wearing when he came back: a school uniform. It looked like it would belong to the same school that that girl came from. So she brought him there? But why?

He finally opened the door and I walked in. He still wouldn't look at me.

"Fang…" I began. "What happened?"

He finally looked at me and I gasped. His eyes weren't black anymore… they were dark red.

"Would you believe me if I told you I was still dead?"

What? "No. I mean, you're standing here, you're talking, you're breathing-" He cut me off by grabbing my hand and placing it on his neck.

No pulse.

"But… but how…?" I asked. How could Fang have no pulse… but still be standing here?

"That girl… Sandy. She turned me."

"Turned you..?" I asked. But then I remembered what the Voice said: _He__'__s__changing_. "What do you mean?"

He opened his mouth to speak again, and then I saw them. Two sharp, white fangs. And I could tell they weren't fake.

"She made me a vampire." He said softly.

-Fang's POV-

I expected Max to be surprised, maybe even disgusted. I didn't expect what happened next. The great, strong, invincible Maximum Ride… started crying. "Where did she take you?" She asked softly.

"A school called Vladimir Academy." I replied. "Apparently it's for… people like me." I knew she got the idea. "I left, though. I didn't want to stay."

She nodded slowly. Wiping her tears, she looked at me. "So… what does this mean?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, what can you do?"

"I dunno." I replied, again mentally kicking myself for not staying a little longer. "I left before I could learn much. All I know is that the older I get, the less I'll be able to be in the sun."

Max thought for a moment. "What about how long you're going to live? Don't vampires live a really long time?"

"I guess. Sandy told me that headmaster guy was over five hundred. He looked somewhere around ninety." I said. And then another thing hit me: I'd outlive the rest of the Flock. They'd be pushing eighty, and I'd look only like, nineteen or something.

I think Max realized that too, because she suddenly frowned. "Be sure to visit all of our graves, okay…?" She said.

"Come on, don't say that." I said. "That won't happen for a long time."

She looked me surprised. "How did you know I was thinking that?"

"You said it." I said.

"No, I didn't." She said softly. "I _thought_ it."

I just freaking read Max's _mind_. How the heck…?

The door opened, and I looked back to see Sandy standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

She glared at me. "I came to bring you back, what do you think?"

-Sandy's POV-

He shook his head, but I could see the uncertainty in his eyes. He knew he needed to learn more. "Do you _want_ Headmaster to kill me?"

It was true. If I didn't bring Fang back _soon_, Headmaster was going to have my head. Literally.

"Why should we care?" The girl next to him said.

"Max, calm down." Fang said, trying to calm the girl down.

"Why should I?" She yelled. "She changed you! She took you away!"

He sighed. "Maybe I _should_ go back…"

"What?"

"On one condition." He continued. "I don't sleep in the dorms. I'm still living here."

"Living isn't exactly the best word, but… yeah, I see your point. You've got a family, why not stay with them?" Even though I said those words with a smile, I still felt that familiar pang in me chest.

"Good." He replied. "So I'm guessing we need to go?"

I checked my watch and swore. It was already 8:50, and it took me a half-hour to get here! "We're gonna be _so_ late!"

"I'm not." He replied with a smirk, once again spreading his wings. I replied very childishly: I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Let's just go…" I muttered. "I'd rather not be any later than I already am…" I walked back out the door, relieved to hear Fang's footsteps behind me.

-Fang's POV-

I realized that I was going to have to be late too. I still didn't remember the way back to the school, so I was going to have to follow Sandy anyway. Oh well, I'd learn the way soon enough.

The house was on a cliff, making it difficult to get to unless you either had wings or saw the ladder. I expected her to take the ladder. She didn't.

She jumped.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry about everything in italics in the last chapter. I don't know why there weren't any spaces. Please don't complain to me about it, because it wasn't my fault.**

-Sandy's POV-

The look on his face was priceless. He probably thought I had jumped to my death. Boy, did he have a lot to learn.

"What the heck did you do that for?" Fang yelled, landing gracefully after his gorgeous jet-black wings brought him down softly. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

I laughed. "Killed? How can you kill something that's already dead?"

He froze. I guess this was the first time it really, truly hit him: he was immortal.

"So we can't die?" He asked warily.

"Unless we step into the sun when we're too old to, then no, we can't die."

The poor guy. There was so much for him to take in. What I told him wasn't even the half of it.

On our walk back, he finally decided to ask a few questions. "Hey… can we… I mean, do we have any sort of powers, or anything?"

"Yeah." I replied. "Why?"

"Because back there, I think I read Max's mind."

"Not surprising." I shrugged. "It's a pretty common gift."

"So what else?" He asked.

"What else what?"

"What else can we do?"

Finally, the curiosity was kicking in. Fun. "That depends. Other than the basic stuff: speed, strength, reading minds, it varies from person to person."

"Oh." Fang said. I thought he might be done with the questions, but I found that was too much to ask for. "So what can you do?"

"Oh, you wouldn't care, really." I said. _Please__don__'__t__ask__any__more__about__it__…_

That was too much to ask for as well. "Tell me."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

I swear, now he was just doing it to be annoying. Luckily, right then, we arrived back at the school.

-Fang's POV-

She was hiding something. I had to find out what. I wanted to know what I might be up against if I ever had to fight my way out of here.

She walked through the doorway, dragging me along behind her. The next thing I knew, she was opening a classroom door and forcing me to follow.

All eyes were on me. It made me kind of uncomfortable, but I had to play it cool.

A woman who I guessed was the teacher, looked over at me too. "Ah, you must be F666xto." Everyone in the room snickered, and the teacher looked at me disapprovingly. "Such a shame, to be late on your first day. Very well, take a seat. There's an open one in the back."

Immediately, I decided I hated that teacher. She had a very wrinkled face, with brown hair in a tight bun, and a few gray hair here and there. Her eyes, of course, were a faded red. She looked like an overall bitter person.

The girl next to me turned and whispered, "F666xto?" She snickered. "How embarrassing."

"It's Fang." I muttered darkly.

She blinked before laughing again. "And he has a sense of humor!"

"Lay off, Mariah." Sandy said, taking the seat on my other side. She turned to me. "Ignore her. She just likes the attention she gets from ragging on others."

"Oh, Cassandra." Mariah said. "I didn't see you there. It's so rare to see you in class these days, with how often you're suspended."

So Sandy was a trouble-maker. That explained a lot. It _had_ looked like she knew the Headmaster's office a little _too_ well.

"His name really is Fang." Sandy growled.

"Well, what kind of name is that?" She looked at me. "Well, Goth Boy?"

"That's none of your business." I said in the same menacing tone Sandy used. "And _don__'__t_ call me 'Goth Boy'."

"That's enough!" The teacher's voice rose above everyone else. The class immediately quieted. "If you must have petty squabbles such as these, save them for _outside_the classroom."

"Yes, Mrs. Surrogey…" Both Sandy and Mariah muttered. This teacher was apparently not one to mess with.

-Sandy's POV-

When we were finally released to the last class of the day, I had to use every ounce of willpower to _not_slam Mariah out the closest window. Instead, I dragged Fang to class: Ability Mastery I. Jake was nice enough, but it was still a class I hated.

We were a little late again, of course, because I ran into one of my closest friends.

Okay, _only_ friend.

"Fang, this is Amara. Amara, meet Fang."

"So it's true. You actually blooded him?" She asked in her typical soft voice.

"Yeah…" I replied sheepishly. "I took a little too much, and, well…"

"I get the picture." She tried moving her strangely navy blue hair away from her eyes, but it didn't work too well. It was too short to be tucked behind her ear, but long enough to be a lot of trouble. She looked at Fang. "So… what's up with the name 'Fang'?"

I braced myself for any sort of explosion from him, but none came. "I ended up naming myself. Long story."

Amara's bright red eyes stared at him through her messy bangs. "Maybe some other time?"

"Maybe…" He said, but I knew it wouldn't happen. At least he had the decency to not ignore her completely.

The three of us walked to class together in eerie silence. When I finally opened the door, we were stared at. Again. All eyes landed on Fang. Again.

-Fang's POV-

The second class this happened in, and it was already getting annoying. What was their _problem_?

One kid who had been standing near the front of the room walked over to me. He was pretty tall compared to the rest of them, but still an inch or two shorter than me. "F666xto, I presume?"

"Fang." I said yet again.

"Pardon?"

"My name. It's Fang."

"Ah." The boy said. "Well, my name is Mr. Lane, but everyone here just calls me Jake. It's a pleasure to have you in my class, Fang."

Unbelievable. A _kid_ was a teacher?

Sandy dragged me to a table in the back. "I forgot to mention that there are a few vampires who start to age slower at an earlier age. Jake slowed down when he was, like, eight, so he's had a lot more time than we have. I think he's 75 years old, or something like that."

"78." Amara said softly, taking a seat on Sandy's right.

Jake smiled as he walked back to his desk. After looking at some sort of paper (probably an attendance sheet or something), he said, "Okay, as I'm sure many of you know, we all have a new student." He motioned in my direction, and every head in the room turned towards me yet again. "His name is Fang. I won't, however, embarrass him by asking him any sort of personal questions."

Sandy leaned over to me and whispered, "Isn't he great? Practically everyone here agrees that he's the best teacher ever."

"Oh, right." Jake looked back at me. "Fang, can I see you after class for a few minutes?"

What the heck was that about? Why would I have to stay after class? I didn't do anything.

That bothered me all throughout the class, so I wasn't really paying that much attention. I did, however, notice when Sandy nudged me and pointed at the door. Everyone else was leaving. I stayed in my seat.

When everyone else was out of the room, Jake walked over to me. "I know this is very strange for you, and if there's anything you need to talk about, I'll listen. And please, come to me whenever you exhibit any signs of an ability."

"I have."

"Pardon?"

"I think I have an ability."

"Very peculiar. Usually, a newly blooded vampire doesn't develop any abilities until weeks later, at least. Maybe it was a fluke?" He looked puzzled. "What happened?"

"I read someone's mind."

His eyebrows shot up. "You did?"

"Yeah." What was up with him? I though Sandy said it was pretty common…

"Very strange. While it's a normal gift, I've never heard of a case where that has developed so quickly. Heightened strength, speed, and senses are all immediate, but any extra gift takes much longer to develop… It's just not normal…" Suddenly, he seemed to realize that that kind of sounded like an insult. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's okay. Believe me, _I__'__m_ not normal. Can I go now?"

"Oh, r-right." Now, Jake actually seemed like a teenager, unlike when he was teacher, when he was like an adult in a kid's body. "Of course."

I opened the door and walked out, glad to be able to go home.


	6. Chapter 6

-Max's POV-

I had been up _all_ night waiting for Fang to come home. My eyes were just about to close when the door opened, and I was suddenly wide awake.

Fang walked through the door, yawning.

"Fang!" I said, excited. "How'd it go?"

He shrugged. I hated it when he did things like that. Couldn't he just actually answer, just _once_?

Almost like he read my mind – oh wait, no, he _did_ read my mind, he said, "I met some people. There wasn't really anything interesting. My teachers don't really like me, though." He smirked.

"Okay… So what kind of classes are you taking?"

He groaned. "All boring stuff. Mainly normal subjects. The only thing really worth mentioning is Ability Specialization. The teacher for that is pretty cool."

"Wait." I said. "Cool? What about the whole 'all adults are evil' thing?"

"Well… he's really just seventy-something," he said, as if that explained everything. He probably read my mind again, because he added, "That's not really all that old for the- us. He still looks like a student." He suddenly looked alert. "Someone's coming."

A split second later, the rest of the Flock entered the room.

-Fang's POV-

They all stood there in the doorway, shocked. Well, except Iggy; he just stood there.

_Like, Omigod! What's Fang doing here? Isn't he, like, dead? He looks kinda scary… Omigod, his eyes are RED!_ Nudge's voice blared in my head. Geez, even in her _mind_ she's a chatterbox…

_Why's everyone so quiet?_ I heard Iggy think. _What's going on?_

Angel frowned, looking right at me. _I can't read his mind… I couldn't before either! I could always read it before! Why can't I anymore?_

Without thinking, I said, "Things change, Angel."

She stared at me with wide eyes. I nodded. "Yeah, I read your mind."

"Fang…?" Iggy asked. "They said you were dead… so how…?"

I groaned. I knew this was going to happen sometime, but I really didn't want it to be now, not when I still didn't know much, myself. "I still _am_ dead." I said simply. Hey, a guy's gotta start somewhere, right?

"No you're not. You're like, here, so you can't be dead." Nudge began, but I cut her off.

"It's called being turned into a vampire." I said. That shut even her up.

"I don't believe you…" Iggy finally said. "That was just some big joke, right?"

Max shook her head. "No, Iggy, it wasn't. Fang _is_ a vampire…"

"But vampire don't exist." Gazzy said. He looked to Angel for support.

"I can't read the mind of someone who's dead…" She said softly. "And he's even got red eyes."

"Omigod!" Nudge suddenly exclaimed as I opened my mouth to speak again. "He's got fangs!"

"There, now do you believe me?" I asked, exasperated. I was tired… I just wanted sleep. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be in my room…" And with that, I got up, went into my room, and passed out on my bed.

-Iggy's POV-

I couldn't believe it. But then, all I had to go on was everyone's word. What if this was just some joke? But then again, even Nudge noticed something was off… and Angel… she seemed genuinely upset that she couldn't read Fang's mind… It was all adding up to the impossible.

Fang really was a vampire.

As soon as I came to terms with this, I was pulled over to the table. I could hear everyone else sitting down (minus Fang, of course).

"Basically," Max started, "This girl Sandy changed Fang… then she dragged him off to this school for vampires, which I guess he has to go to every night. Oh, and, be careful what you think. Fang can read minds now, too." She said as an afterthought.

"Wait… so is Fang gonna, like, sleep during the day now?" I heard Nudge ask.

"Well, duh. He needs to sleep sometime… right?"

"He's gonna outlive us…" Angel said softly. Everything went quiet.

"What do you mean…?" Gazzy finally asked quietly.

"When we die, he's still gonna look young… he'll live for hundreds of years… That's what he told you, right Max?"

"Yeah." She finally responded. "He promised to visit our graves when we die…"

That brought the silence again.

-Max's POV-

I really wished Angel would get out of my head. There were some things that I felt really should stay just between me and Fang. Like his extended lifespan, for instance.

"Sorry, Max." Angel said softly. I sighed. I looked at Iggy. "Hey, Ig, mind making breakfast?"

"You got it." He said, standing. After he was in the kitchen, I got up and stretched. Maybe I'd go check in on Fang…

Just as I was about to knock on his door, I heard his muffled voice say, "Come in."

As I entered the room, I saw him facedown in his pillow. "I thought you came in to sleep."

"I did." He said. "Slept for a minute, too, because you guys started thinking too loud."

I rolled my eyes.

"You might wanna check under Nudge's bed. She's got more of those adult novels."

"And you know this how?" I raised an eyebrow.

"It was her first thought after you told them I could read their minds." He yawned.

"Okay…" However, I made a mental note to check under her bed. "I'll just let you sleep, then."

"If I can… I keep hearing your thoughts without meaning to…" He said. "I'm gonna need to ask Jake to help me with that…" He muttered.

_Jake?_

"The Ability Specialization teacher."

"How did-? Oh, right." I said. "You need to stop doing that…"

"Can't help it, didn't I just say that?"

"I know, I know." I laughed. "I was kidding."

"Yeah, yeah, take your bad jokes with you when you leave…" He yawned again, and I decided to let him rest in peace. Pun intended.

-Fang's POV-

After Max left, I found out that I still couldn't sleep. Everything just kind of hit me at once. I was dead. I was a vampire. I couldn't die. I would go to a school full of vampires. I would live way longer than my friends… my family…

As I pulled my face out of the pillow and rolled onto my side, I couldn't help wondering what would come next… What would tonight be like…? Would Jake have something to tell me? Possibly. Would the rest of my teachers hate me? Probably. Would I beat Sandy to show Mariah her place?

You can bet on it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, I've decided to make this a new policy: I won't update until I get at least one new review to each chapter I post. That way, at least, I'll know someone out there is reading this.**

-Sandy's POV-

It was pretty easy to find my way back to that house, now that I've been there a few times. I knocked on the door. That girl with the mocha colored skin answered.

"Like, Omigod! You're that girl that turned Fang and took him to that school for vampires! Did you come here again to-?"

I cut her off. God, she was annoying. "Yes, I'm here to get him. Mind letting me in?" After she moved out of the way, I pushed past her into the house. "Fang!" I yelled.

"What…?" He muttered, walking through a doorway. "What do you-? Oh, it's you."

"Time to go." I said, and grabbed his arm. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground. "What the…?"

"I can go by myself, thanks. I don't need you holding my hand."

"Dude…" I muttered, getting up. "Reflexes, much?"

He actually cracked a smile.

"Oh yeah, get changed, and let's go."

He rolled his eyes. "A minute ago you were trying to drag me there immediately. Now you're telling me to change. Make up your mind. Geez…"

"I just don't wanna be late again… Detention with Surrogey is brutal… I'm just glad she let me off with a warning because I brought you there… that's not gonna slide tonight, though." I said. "So come on!"

He walked back into the room he'd come from and the mocha-skinned girl looked back at me again. "Hi! I'm Nudge!"

"Sandy." I said. I really didn't care, I just really, _really_ wanted to get back and avoid detention. Thankfully, Fang came out of the room, wearing his uniform. "Okay, good, now let's go." I walked quickly outside and heard Fang say, "Nudge, tell everyone I left, okay?"

When he was outside with me, I raced back to the school, knowing he was following me from above. After I reached the front gate, I waited impatiently for them to creak open.

"Why don't you just push them open yourself?" Fang asked, landing.

"I don't know, why don't you just fly in?" I responded sarcastically.

"There some sort of barrier or something…" He said.

"Exactly." I explained. "This school is protected with a lot of old magic. The only ways in and out are through the gates, which only open when a student or teacher is in need of them, and this gate is so old it takes _forever_. But I can't slip in until they're completely open, because the barrier will still be there." I gave him a sideways glace. "Confused yet?"

"We're _way _past confused." He responded, shaking his head.

-Fang's POV-

After the gates finally opened, I followed Sandy inside, careful to keep her in sight so I wouldn't get lost. I needed to be able to get to Ability Specialization to ask my questions, but I had to make it through all the other classes first.

Stepping through the door to the classroom, I saw that we were some of the first ones there.

"Better early than late…" She muttered. Looking around I saw _her_.

Mariah was standing there, and she was glaring at the both of us. "Trying to be a goody-goody now?" She asked mockingly. "You think that coming on time to classes will make up for everything you did?" She scoffed. "Unlikely. And you." She turned to me. "Just because you're a new kid doesn't mean you're going to get off easy in my book. You're such a freak." She looked at me scornfully. "You look exactly like the stereotype. You give the rest of us a bad name!"

"You're the only one that cares!" Sandy yelled. I felt my own temper rising. I knew I was a freak, but to hear it from someone like her? That ticked me off.

I stalked over to her. "And what are you gonna do about it?" I practically growled, seething with anger.

"I'll tell you what I'll do." She smirked. "You're going to listen to my voice… You're going to open the window…" I felt myself starting to do as she said, against my own will. "You're going to jump…" Her voice seemed like an echo, and my body was moving of its own accord. "When you land, you're going to leave, and wait until someone comes to find you… Then you'll get the worst kind of detention for trying to escape…" Her smirk seemed to almost grow evil, and my anger grew even more.

Slowly taking control of my body, I turned around, on the ledge of the window, and punched her right in the face. I heard a crack, and blood started flowing from her nose like a fountain. The smell was intoxicating, but I ignored it. I hit her again before flipping her to the ground. "Try that again, and I _will _kill you. I'm not afraid to do it."

"How _dare_ you!" She yelled. "My parents will be hearing about this!" Her injury was already starting to heal, and it seemed like it was only too soon that the only evidence of the fight was the blood and her anger. Her fist was flying towards my face, but my hand flew up instinctively and caught it. No matter how much she tried to escape, I held her fist, determined to teach her that I could defend myself more than she gave me credit for.

I could hear Sandy laughing in the background, but my mind was concentrated on what I was doing. Her other hand flew up to hit me but I was ready. Holding both fists, I pushed her back into the wall. More people came rushing into the room, half of which probably weren't even in this class.

Standing over her, I said through gritted teeth, "Don't call me a stereotype again, and don't _ever_ try to tell me what to do again." I punched her a final time, this time in the gut, and turned away. As I began walking away, I felt a shove against my back and the next thing I knew, I was flying through the window. My wings, acting on reflex, snapped open.

I had been trying to keep them hidden, because I didn't really want to draw a lot of attention to myself here. But now everyone was staring out the window at me.

Well crap.

-Sandy's POV-

As glad as I was to see Mariah get what had been coming to her, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Fang. I could tell by the look on his face that he really hadn't meant to do that.

"I-Is that…?" I heard the quiet voice beside me, and turned to see Amara standing by my side.

"Yeah. He has wings." I shrugged, like it was no big deal. She looked out the window with wide, awestruck eyes. Uh-oh… "Amara…" I started, but it was clear she wasn't listening. The poor girl… she could only get hurt by this…

-Mariah's POV-

Seeing those gorgeous black wings unfold from his back was a shock. How could a freak like him have such a gift as that? He was getting stranger by the second. Why was he able to resist my persuasion? He seemed to have a lot of power, even if some of it was dormant now.

I had to make him mine.


	8. Chapter 8

-Sandy's POV-

As the rest of the kids found their seats (or left to their own classes) I reached an arm out to Fang. He grabbed it and climbed back in through the window. Folding his wings to his back, he said, "Well, secret's out now."

"No, duh." I responded. Glancing around, I saw Mariah looking at Fang. To my surprise, she wasn't glaring, just looking at him, intrigued. I knew what she was thinking, even before she walked over and opened that big fat mouth of hers.

"Oh, Fang, I'm _so_ sorry. That fight was entirely my fault." She said with fake remorse.

"Leave him alone, Mariah." I said, trying to get her to buzz off.

She scowled at me in response. Turning back to Fang, she beamed. "Would you please forgive me for my actions before?"

"Like heck I will." He said, and I laughed.

Her face turned bright red, and she turned to leave. "Please think about it, okay?" And with that, she walked off.

I rolled my eyes and turned to Fang. "Don't believe a word she says."

"Wasn't planning on it." He said.

I sat down in my seat quickly, a split second before the bell rang. Fang did the same.

Surrogey walked in with that typical angry aura about her.

Class dragged on as usual, and I completely zoned out. Looking back at Fang, I saw that he'd done the same.

-Fang's POV-

When that creepy church bell rang again, I got up and stretched. Following Sandy into the halls, I knew people were staring at me. It kinda made me feel a little uncomfortable. A girl with fire engine red eyes and a long blonde ponytail walked over.

"Hello." She said in a kind voice. "My name is Natasha. I couldn't find you yesterday, but I would like to welcome you to our school. I hope you enjoy it here." She smiled.

"I doubt it." I said, and Sandy elbowed me in the ribs. Natasha walked away, casting one final smile over her shoulder. Turning angrily to look at Sandy, I asked, "What was that about?"

"That's Headmaster's granddaughter! Show some respect! She's the only person he cares about, and if you insult her…" She shuddered. "Luckily, she's a pretty nice person. You'd think being Headmaster's favorite would make her all stuck up like Mariah, but she's actually pretty modest. She doesn't have much of a temper at all."

"Thanks for the trivia." I muttered dryly.

She shrugged. "Just thought you should know, that's all."

The day—er, night—dragged on. I really just needed to get through to the last class. When we _finally _got there, I immediately began searching for Jake. I didn't have to look far, though…

"Fang." His voice came from behind me. I turned, and saw him right behind me.

"Well?"

"I didn't find out much, but you must understand that it has only been about a day since I started searching. I do have my theories, though…"

"And?" I asked. Once I found out what he knew, I'd probably feel a little better. All this unease about this whole thing made me feel sick to my stomach.

"I don't want to worry you over what might be nothing. Can you stay after class, though? I know you have some questions. I can only answer a few at a time though, because I don't want to overload you." He smiled a little.

For once in my life, I was actually looking forward to talking to a teacher.

-Sandy's POV-

I had to pay attention in this class. It was the one thing I actually found important, and Jake made it really easy to understand. I glanced back at Amara and frowned. She kept looking shyly at Fang, and I knew things could only go downhill for her at this point.

"Now remember," Jake was saying, "all abilities require a certain mental strength to control. The first step to _really_ controlling one's ability is to be able to clear your mind and focus." He closed his eyes. "The stronger your focus, the more controlled your ability will be. You can't specialize unless you get the basics down first. Now, all of you have the ability of telepathy and your enhanced strength, speed, and senses." He sent me a quick glance as he said this. "Some of you may not be able to control these. Others may not have found access to them. But you all must master and hone your natural, given skills before tapping into your hidden talents. Now… I want you all to clear your minds. Focus on one thing, and one thing only." He glanced at a boy whose eyes were already closed. "And it must be a calming thought. I doubt the girls' locker room counts, Terrance."

Terrance's face turned bright red as everyone started laughing. Even Fang cracked a smile.

I saw everyone's eyes close, and so I did the same. But my mind, as always, was too jumbled to focus. I spent the entire hour trying to hone in on one single thought, but that seemed impossible. As soon as one became clear, another appeared to block the way, distracting me. When the final bell rang, I stood, but saw that Fang hadn't gotten up yet. "You coming?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Can't."

"I asked him to stay." Jake said.

"Oh, okay." I shrugged and left the room. I met Amara at the door.

"Did you know…?" She asked me softly.

"Did I know what?"

"Did you already know that Fang has wings?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"You didn't seem surprised when he revealed them… So I thought you must have known."

I nodded. "It's true. I did. Sorry for not telling you."

"No, it… it's okay… It wasn't important…" She said, but I could see the hurt in my best friend's eyes.

-Fang's POV-

Jake walked over to my seat. Sitting on the desk, he asked, "So what do you know?"

"Huh?"

"What do you know about your limitations?"

"Well, before… when I was turning, I felt sort of sick when I tried to eat…"

He nodded. "That's because your system will only recognize blood as nutrition. Human food is like bodily waste. Our bodies just reject it. What else do you know?"

"Sandy told me that we won't die unless we get 'too old' for the sun and go take a sun bath."

He chuckled. "That's one way of putting it. But yes. When the resistance to the sun that our bodies have breaks down, we'll burst into flames and then crumble to ashes. It's a very painful process."

How the heck did he know what it feels like if he's still young and… well, not alive, but… undead?

"I had to watch it happen to my mentor." He spoke and I froze.

"How did-?"

"Oh, that's right. Sorry, I forgot that you didn't know. Normally, we can read each other's minds, because you can't read the minds of the dead." He paused for a moment and then nodded. "Just like your friend who couldn't read yours. This is one of the reasons that they call me a prodigy. My telepathic ability is so advanced that I can break through the natural barrier a vampire has around their mind."

_Like this_, I heard him say _in my head_.

"Did you find out anything about why I can read minds so early?"

"Not yet. Like I said before class, I have my theories, but I can't be certain… I don't want to throw too much at you at one time, so I'll let you go. Besides, I don't want you flying home with a headache." He pointed out the window, and sure enough, the sun was starting to come up.

"How did-?"

Jake laughed. "Even if I _didn't_ read minds, everyone already knows. Gossip spreads fast around here. Those wings of yours are something special."

I nodded. Don't I know it. Turning to leave, I called over my shoulder, "See ya."

Once I was off school grounds, my wings snapped open and I took to the skies.

-Amara's POV-

Sitting on my bed in the dorm, I watched Fang's figure slowly fade from sight. Without realizing it, I sighed.

"Sorry, Amara." I heard Sandy say behind me.

I turned. "Why?"

"He's got a girlfriend. I think her name is Max? She's like him. She's got wings too."

I nodded slowly. Then, realizing what she was implying, I blushed. "Wh-What are you talking about…? Wh-Why would that matter to me…?"

"Oh, come on." She sighed. "You're my best friend. I can _tell_. You like him. I'm sorry, but it _is_ hopeless." She shook her head.

I frowned slightly and stared in the direction Fang had flown. Drawing the curtains, I laid down in my bed. Shutting my eyes, I thought, _Even though it can never happen, at least I have my dreams…_

-Max's POV-

When I woke up, Fang was already home. He must have been really tired. Poor guy couldn't even make it to his room. There he was, just sprawled out on the couch, fast asleep. I shook him a little. "Hey, Fang."

He didn't respond.

I sighed. I opened the curtains and let the bright, warm sunshine into the room.

Fang sat bolt upright. "God, what the hell, Max!"

I gave him a warning glance that said both _Shut it, the others are asleep_ and _Watch the language, there are kids in the house._ "Sorry, but you sleep like the dead," I said, closing the curtains again.

"Oh, ha ha, you think you're _so_ funny." He stood a little shakily, and his stomach growled. Before I could stop him, he was already heading to the kitchen. Guess he was still half asleep. Oh well, he'd find out soon enough.

As soon as I saw him pull out some cereal. I turned around and covered my ears. That didn't block out the sound of his 'regurgitation', though. I gagged and didn't turn around. "Do us all a favor and clean that up."

"I'm taking a shower first…" He moaned. And with that, I heard him walk out of the room.

About five minutes later, I heard a little _sploosh_, and then Iggy's voice: "Ewwwww… Please tell me I didn't just step in…"

"Yep. Fang-puke."

Iggy shuddered. "Gross... Why didn't he clean it up?"

"He's taking a shower," I responded. "And I'm sure as heck not gonna clean it up!"

Finally, Fang returned from the shower, and cleaned up his mess, much to my and Iggy's relief. Then, he headed back to his room, and I heard him pretty much collapse on the bed.

-Fang's POV-

My stomach was burning. I couldn't stand it, I needed something to eat.

_No_, the small, rational part of my brain told me. _You can't eat. Blood. You need blood._

There was no way I was drinking from anyone here, so that only meant one thing. Opening my window, I managed to squeeze through, and took off into the forest. Animal blood it is.

**Sorry, this is a boring way to end this chapter, I know. I was planning on making it longer, but I've had some writer's block, and I figure you poor people have waiting long enough. I'm warning you now, though. It might be quite a while before the next chapter gets up. I've got about a million other stories I'm working on, one of which is a novel I hope to get published at some point. Anyway, I'm _very_ sorry. Please don't hate me!**


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